2000
#71,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 253
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Colasanto
An Italian surname derived from a place name, translating to "one from Collesanto."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 302 Americans carry the last name Colasanto. That puts it at #78,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,134,948 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colasanto surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
302
1 in 1,134,948
Census rank
#78,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
263
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 263 bearers of the surname Colasanto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 78395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colasanto, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colasanto
The surname Colasanto has its origins in Italy, likely emerging in the late medieval period or the Renaissance era. It is believed to be derived from the Italian words "cola" and "santo," which translates to "tails" and "saint," respectively. This combination suggests a connection to a place name or a person's occupation involving the handling or processing of tails, perhaps in the textile or leather industries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colasanto can be found in the historical archives of the city of Naples, where a merchant named Giovanni Colasanto is mentioned in a trade document dated 1472. This provides evidence of the name's existence during the 15th century in the southern Italian region of Campania.
In the 16th century, records from the town of Amalfi indicate the presence of a family with the name Colasanto. A notable individual from this lineage was Francesco Colasanto, born in 1537, who served as a respected magistrate and legal scholar in the Kingdom of Naples.
The name Colasanto also appears in historical documents from the Sicilian city of Palermo, where a prominent family bearing this surname resided in the 17th century. One member, Vincenzo Colasanto (1621-1698), was a renowned architect who contributed to the design of several churches and public buildings in the city.
Moving forward to the 18th century, the Colasanto name gained recognition in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. A notable figure was Antonio Colasanto (1725-1802), a philosopher and writer from Milan who authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
In more recent times, the name Colasanto has spread beyond Italy due to migration and diaspora. One notable bearer of this surname was the Italian-American actor and film director Roberto Colasanto (1940-2008), who gained fame for his roles in various Hollywood productions.
While the origins of the Colasanto surname can be traced back to Italy, it has since become a part of the cultural fabric of communities around the world, reflecting the rich tapestry of human migration and the enduring legacy of names and their histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colasanto
Among Census respondents with the surname Colasanto, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Colasanto bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Colasanto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 255
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colasanto
Colasanto appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#74,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 261
+8 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,333 places
2020
#78,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263
+2 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 4,254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #71,808 | 253 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74,141 | 261 | 0.09 | +8 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 2,333 places |
| 2020 | #78,395 | 263 | 0.09 | +2 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 4,254 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Colasanto surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #74,141 | #78,395 | -5.7% |
| Count | 261 | 263 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colasanto bearers went from 261 to 263 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 4,254 positions in the national ranking, going from #74,141 to #78,395.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Colasanto
FAQ
Colasanto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colasanto?
Name Census estimates that about 302 living Americans carry the surname Colasanto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,134,948 residents.
How common is Colasanto?
Colasanto ranks #78,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 263 people with the surname Colasanto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (302), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Colasanto.
Has Colasanto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colasanto went from 261 recorded bearers to 263. That is an increase of 2 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #74,141 to #78,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Colasanto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colasanto, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Colasanto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colasanto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Hispanic (1.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Colasanto (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Colasanto mean?
An Italian surname derived from a place name, translating to "one from Collesanto." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Colasanto (0.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Colasanto?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.